Rebirth

Ivan Bilibin - Illustration for Contes de l'isba
Ivan Bilibin – Illustration for Contes de l’isba: Ivan-Tsarevich and the Firebird (1931) – from Christie’s

In my last semi-annual editorial, I described the police persecution of our British website provider, culminating in his guilty plea. The administration of the websites was taken over by his son, who was forced to close them down in May, following a further police raid with a threat of confiscation of his servers, as well as a blackmail by British Telecom over his security clearance. The heart of the matter is explained in the latest Pigtails in Paint editorial: the latter website, as well as the blog of Graham Ovenden, had uncovered the misconduct of the UK police in the Ovenden frame-up trial and conviction. Corrupt cops must protect their careers by censoring the exposure of their treachery, leading them to further acts of abuse. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

Forbidden Fruit, by Roy Harper

Cover of Roy Harper's album Valentine
Cover of Roy Harper’s album Valentine (1974)

The English folk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper (born on June 12, 1941) has released 32 albums during a career that has lasted over 50 years. His 7th album Valentine, released in 1974 with Harvest Records, contains 10 tracks, starting with the song “Forbidden Fruit” that tells of a love affair with a 13 years old girl. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

Farewell

John William Waterhouse - Saint Eulalia
John William Waterhouse – Saint Eulalia (1885) – from jwwaterhouse.com

British Telecom has ordered the execution of Pïgtails in Paint and Agapeta. You can write me.

Email address for contact
Email address for contact

La Reine de Mai, par Jean Aicard

S.J. Thompson - The May Queen and her court
S.J. Thompson – The May Queen and her court, New Westminster, BC, Canada (c.1887) – New Westminster Public Library, Heritage Database, accession number 2728

Des traditions populaires ont longtemps été associées au 1er mai, avant qu’il ne soit devenu le symbole du mouvement ouvrier ; certaines d’entre elles sont héritées de fêtes religieuses antérieures au christianisme, comme celle de Beltaine chez le Celtes, célébrant le renouveau et l’amour. Ainsi des jeunes (ou petites) filles s’habillent en blanc et on élit parmi elles la « Reine de Mai ». Elles peuvent aussi danser autour d’un poteau, « L’Arbre de Mai ». CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

Sonnets of a Little Girl, IV, by Ernest Dowson

Léopold Morice - Fillette à la coquille
Léopold Morice – Fillette à la coquille, Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France – from Wikimedia Commons

Of the 8 Sonnets of a Little Girl, only two were published in Dowson’s lifetime: a modified version of the 8th, and this one, the 4th, in its original version. It appeared with the title “Sonnet to a little Girl” in London Society, volume 50, November 1886, over the initials E.C.D. Notice that while the title is dedicated to “a little girl,” in the first sentence of the poem he writes about the child “his” and “him.” CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

It was deep April and the morn, by Michael Field

William-Adolphe Bouguereau - La pêche aux grenouilles
William-Adolphe Bouguereau – La pêche aux grenouilles (1882) – from The Athenaeum

From “The Third Book of Songs” of Underneath the Bough, I present today what I consider one of the most important poems by Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper. In it, they defiantly proclaim in front of the world, “pressing sore,” their beautiful forbidden passion: “My Love and I took hands and swore, / Against the world, to be / Poets and lovers evermore,” laughing, dreaming and singing to the symbols of death, “Indifferent to heaven and hell.” They seek the “fast-locked souls” faithful to poetry, “Who never from Apollo fled.CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…

Cœur fidèle, par Émile Blémont

Jules-Cyrille Cavé - Mes marguerites
Jules-Cyrille Cavé – Mes marguerites (1901)

Dans Chansons des champs, la deuxième partie du recueil Les pommiers en fleur : idylles de France et de Normandie d’Émile Blémont, beaucoup de poèmes traitent de l’amour sur un ton léger, présageant des relations de courte durée et des sentiments papillonnant d’une fille à une autre. Par contre le poème qui suit exalte la beauté d’un amour unique, durable et fidèle, aspiration secrète qui s’est longtemps heurtée aux déconvenues de la vie. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…